Cassano, who played alongside Balotelli for Italy at Euro 2012, was regularly in the headlines for the wrong reasons as a young player and believes the mercurial AC Milan star has trod a similar path in his career to date.

“Mario is a great guy,” Cassano was quoted as saying by Corriere dello Sport.

“He reminds me a bit of myself when I was 20 years old.”

The 31-year-old joined Parma this summer after new Inter boss Walter Mazzarri made it clear he did not have a place in his plans.

While Cassano admits he remains a supporter of the club at heart, he could not resist taking a swipe at the former Napoli boss.

“Inter have a great coach, who is not so great as a person. I think they can achieve great things, though,” he continued.

“I’m an Inter fan and will continue to cheer for them, not for Mazzarri. I don’t care about him.

“I can see Inter finish in the Champions League places together with Napoli, while I expect Juventus to win the Scudetto.”